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NHL Picks

Back Penguins as NHL Odds Dogs

The Pittsburgh Penguins are an absolute gong show these days – if you can even believe that. The team that’s been the Stanley Cup favorite more than any other team over the last five years has now lost six of eight. Are they even worth considering for your NHL picks in this situation?

The Pittsburgh
Penguins Can Win Because…

They own this series. The Pens have won five straight
meetings between the teams and 13 of 18. On top of that, Blue Jackets stalwart
goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky might not be 100%. He’s dealing with the flu and
wasn’t able to finish Tuesday’s game. He’s supposedly feeling better but
playing against Pittsburgh, he’ll need to be at his best.

The Blue Jackets are just 13-18 on the year when facing a
team with a winning record. Pittsburgh should be able to get back on track
here.

The Columbus Blue
Jackets Can Win Because…The Pens are in the midst of their worst stretch of the
season. They’ve dropped six of eight and have forgotten how to score goals.
They have just four in their last three games, which is startling for this type
of team. The injuries are catching up to them as Evgeni Malkin is now out while
Kris Letang and Paul Martin are still sidelined too. What’s worse is that
they’ve lost three straight at home where they supposedly play markedly better.

Outlook & PickIt’s tough to back the Pens but I’ll give it a shot. They
are a road dog on the NHL odds in Columbus facing a team they’ve traditionally
dominated. The Blue Jackets have dropped three of their last four at home and
even though Pittsburgh is in a back-to-back situation, I think they get the win
on Friday night.